Giraffe Kisses Zookeeper Dying Of Cancer

• G. c. tippelskirchi, known as the Maasai Giraffe or Kilimanjaro Giraffe, has jagged-edged, vine-leaf shaped spots of dark brown on a brownish-cream background. It is the darkest coloured subspecies. It occurs in central and southern Kenya and Tanzania. It is estimated that fewer than 40,000 remain in the wild, and based on ISIS records approximately 100 are kept in zoos.
• G. c. rothschildi, is known variously as the Rothschild Giraffe or Baringo Giraffe or Ugandan Giraffe. Its coats bears deep brown, blotched or rectangular spots with poorly defined cream lines. Its legs are mostly white with no pattern. Its range includes Uganda and west-central Kenya, especially near Lake Baringo. It may also occur in southern Sudan. Fewer than 700 are believed to remain in the wild, and based on ISIS records more than 450 are kept in zoos.
• G. c. giraffa, the South African Giraffe, has rounded or blotched spots, some with star-like extensions on a light tan background, running down to the hooves. It is found in northern South Africa, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe and southwestern Mozambique. It is estimated that fewer than 12,000 remain in the wild, and based on ISIS records approximately 45 are kept in zoos.
• G. c. thornicrofti, called the Thornicroft Giraffe or Rhodesian Giraffe, has star-shaped or leafy spots extend to the lower leg. It is restricted to the Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia. Fewer than 1,500 remain in the wild, and based on ISIS records none are kept in zoos.